WIP'n Santa

::snicker::  Couldn't resist that post title.  Probably got up way too early.

Time to quilt!

I use a ton of pins when I domestic-quilt with a heavy backing such as Minky, fleece, or - in this case - corduroy.  I find my preferred 4-inch spread to be too loose, allowing too much give and resulting in unwanted pulls on the top between rows of stitching. 2.5 - 3 inches seems to solve that problem for me. First time I've done a corduroy back, so we'll see if that's still sufficient!  Spray basting would never stand up to the weight of this on a sofa-cuddler size.

I had designed this on paper and in EQ to call to mind a road that Santa was scooting on superimposed by a big chunk of the novelty fabric.  After constructing the oblique background, I laid the squares and "roads" out to find the slice points to insert the strips. . .  and I hated the overpowering effect of the roads. 

So I took them out from one top and let them sit overnight. (To my hubby's consternation, who wanted to shoot pool before bed.)

And the next morning, the un-stripped one was boringly bare and missing the whole concept of the road for the Santa on each square. Staring at them side-by-side some more, I wondered if there was just too much yellow. So I trimmed those way down, and that solved the entire problem. 

Such a huge improvement from a tiny adjustment. Design amazes me sometimes.  :D

Oh, I almost forgot - I have some patterns I'd like to give away. They're on This Post. If you'd be interested in any of them, leave a comment there. 

Thank you to Lee and this week's host for facilitating this motivational link-up!